The Village My Version
by Stormhame
Summary: Lucius is rather uncertain of himself and Covington Village. He has feelings for Ivy, but is not sure how to express it. To make matters worse, he went into the woods and he feels Ivy will see as selfish. This is my own version of The Village Part 2 is up
1. Part One

_I. Never enter the woods. That is where they wait._

_II. Heed the warning bell. For they are coming._

_III. Let the bad color not be seen. It attracts them._

_IIII. One man should hold post in the tower each night._

_IIIII. The safe color should be worn upon approaching the Forbidden Line. _

It was cold, colder than Lucius Hunt could ever remember it being. He was outside. His yellow cloak covering his head and it overshadowed his face. He was standing just at the edge of Covington Forest. He watched his breath condensate in the chilling cold. The wisp of his breath disappeared as fast as it had appeared. He turned his head and stared at the yellow flags slightly moving with the breeze. Yellow, the safe color, was draped everywhere along the tree line. There were no traces of red in the entire village. The color red was immediately buried if seen, for it attracted evil. The trees of the Forbidden Line moved with the wind, and it seemed to Lucius that even the trees trembled from the secrets of the woods. He knew that "Those We Don't Speak Of" would soon be out. He felt a shiver down his spine, in spite himself. He knew there was nothing to be afraid of. The creatures hadn't breached the Forbidden Line in many years. Still, there was an ominous feeling about tonight, and he knew he should go indoors. It was getting colder, after all. He moved toward Covington slowly, while taking peeks over his shoulder at the woods. He wasn't afraid.

Ivy Walker stood outside on her porch. She stared blankly out into space, with a sudden awareness that Lucius was approaching. She continued to stare sightlessly. She reached beside herself to fetch her walking stick. She reached out, grabbing air and fumbled trying to find it. Lucius picked it up and held it out to her.

"Thank you, Lucius," she said with a slight smirk on her face.

Lucius looked surprised and Ivy seemed to sense it.

"How-" Lucius said before Ivy cut him off.

"How did I know it was you?" She laughed gently. "I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I can't see. I can see faint sparks of color in every person."

Lucius looked at her with interest. He deeply breathed in the crisp air.

"It's cold," he said and he saw her shivering. "Shall we go inside?"

Ivy nodded at him and entered the house. He slowly followed, sneaking one last look at the woods. He saw nothing, and disregarded his fussing as false fear. Inside, he saw Ivy's older sister, Kitty Walker, sitting quietly by the fire. In the opposite corner, he saw Noah Percy, also sitting, but fidgeting terribly. He looked back at Kitty and noticed she was calm and silent, probably taking in the quietness of night. Lucius didn't see how night was calm. It was filled with the fear of the creatures. Again, that thought in the back of his mind tugged at him. Could they breach the Forbidden Line tonight? Of course not. He disregarded his fears again. He pushed them as far back in his mind as he could. He turned to Ivy, who was now at Noah's side.

"Ivy," Noah became excited, "let's play a game!"

"Well, what shall we play?" Ivy talked to him as if he were a child.

He had a defect that inhibited him from learning normally, so in a sense, he was still a child.

"Race!" Noah returned happily.

"Oh, Noah, it is much too cold for that." Ivy said in a soft tone of voice.

Noah looked disappointed.

"What can we do, then?"

Kitty looked out the window. Lucius snapped around to see what she was looking at.

"It's becoming late, perhaps we should just get some sleep," Kitty said between yawns.

Noah frowned disapprovingly.

"That isn't any fun," he whined.

"She's right," Ivy yawned as well.

Lucius twisted his gaze from the window. He assured himself that his fears were false. One thing still tugged at him. Why was he so afraid? He never normally fretted about the woods, so why now? He felt he knew the answer to that question, but kept it inside. He buried deep beneath the skin, and shut it out. He stood slowly, and Ivy turned in his direction.

"I am going to return home. It was nice seeing you, Ivy, Kitty, and Noah." He addressed them each slowly and exited the house.

He was out in the brisk cold again. He put up his hood and stared at the guard tower. He could see a figure huddling at the top. He felt sorry for whoever had to watch the Forbidden Line when it was this cold. He continued walking, his back facing the woods. He felt as if he were being watched, but he continued to suppress his fear. He entered his house and shut the door hastily. Tomorrow he would learn that his fears were false. He laid down on his bed slowly and shut his eyes. _Tomorrow. . . ._

Finton Coin breathed in deeply. He shut his eyes to close out the fear. He was huddled in a corner, yellow cloak wrapped around him tightly. His long, blonde hair peeked out slightly under his yellow hood. He would have drifted into an uneasy sleep if not for the extreme cold. He moved up onto his hands and knees. He heard something, a rather faint growl. He heard another one, only this time it was louder and more threatening. He jumped up and turned around. He looked down below the tower. He saw nothing, not one slight hint of motion anywhere. He turned to the woods. He surveyed it, but saw nothing but the branches twitching with the breeze. He gulped down his fears and sat on the ground again. He pulled the cloak closer to him this time and began muttering calming things to himself. Scratch-scratch-scratch. Finton's eyes became wide. Was that the sound of claws against wood? Were they in the tower? Finton rose to his feet slowly, trying to catch a glimpse of the creature. He pivoted all the way around, but saw nothing, not that faintest hint of motion. The creature was cunning. It was already in the watch tower. Finton could feel it in his heart, as it increasingly began to beat louder. He sank to the ground and pulled the cloak tight against his body. Finton twisted his head awkwardly in his ball position. He stared straight ahead of him. The bell, he had to ring the bell. It seemed so far away. How could he possibly reach it without being heard? He positioned himself on his hands and knees again. He slowly began to crawl over to the rope, as silently and as slowly as possible. His hood fell back and his face was revealed to the cold. He was too frightened to care. Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak. Finton winced with this sound. He had shifted his weight awkwardly and caused the boards to creak. He gulped again and tried to breathe normally. He heard soft growling, probably in response to the creak. THUMP! Finton cried in surprise. The creature knocked onto the trap door, which Finton was on. It was obvious the creature knew he was there and he scrambled to his feet. He stumbled clumsily and fell. He reached out for the rope as he did, but missed it and fell flat on his side. The creature snorted and began to bang loudly on the door. Finton did not move. He lay there, groaning and crying.

"No . . . no . . . no . . ." he groaned in pain and fear. His ribs ached from where he had fallen. The banging against the door got increasingly louder. He could hear the creature snarling in disgust as it tried with all its might to get into the watch tower. Finton figured it was over for him. He gathered that he didn't have enough strength to get up and ring the bell. The banging stopped, and a clawed hand reached up from the trap door. It felt around the door, seeing if it had something to grab onto. Finton wondered if the creature had left and managed to get to his knees and turned around. His eyes became wide with dread and he froze with terror. He locked up with shock. It was like his mind had stopped working. The hand rose more and he could see the cloaked arm work its way up. Another clawed hand appeared, scratching and digging into the wood. Finton stared on and it finally sunk in, ring the bell! Finton felt total comprehension again and he snapped into action. After all, this was his job. He could not fail Covington. He dashed for the rope, footsteps falling hard on the wood boards. The creature growled with fury and pulled itself up. Finton didn't look at it; he just rang the bell. He pulled down with all his might. He rang it three times before collapsing from the tension. The creature snarled with distress and disappeared back down the door and into the woods.

Lucius awoke sleepily. His vision was blurred as he sat up and curled his position to the side. He heard great excitement outside and wondered what the matter could be. Then, the thought resurfaced and his eyes became wide. Only if the Forbidden Line was breached would such commotion be caused. He grabbed his yellow cloak and stumbled outside.

Ivy was outside, helplessly flaring her arms out in all directions.

"Father!" she yelled, "Father, where are you?!"

She felt someone grab her hand.

"Lucius!" she managed to gasp.

He pulled her along toward her own house. Kitty was inside frantically moving about.

Noah was laughing in his chair yelling "They're coming, they're coming!"

Lucius shook his head and shoved Ivy inside.

"Stay here," he mouthed to her. She nodded and turned to Kitty. She was moving to the trap door in the floor. She motioned Noah in and reached for Ivy's hand. She took her sister's hand and began to descend underground. Lucius began to run out of the house and he barely noticed Ivy yelling after him.

Lucius ran through Covington rushing people inside, even if it wasn't their house. He searched everywhere for Edward Walker, but couldn't find him. He figured he was already inside somewhere. He made sure everyone was safely inside when he turned and stared at the guard tower. Whoever who had rung the bell could be still up there. Lucius began running toward the tower with all his might. At first, all he heard were his own footsteps harshly hitting the ground. The sound was almost deafening, but then he realized the loud booming could have been his own heartbeat. He wasn't sure, nor did he care. He had his mind fixed on making sure whoever was in that tower reached safety. Shortly, he became aware of new sounds. The were scuttling sounds, like the sounds of great claws scraping the ground. He instantly knew what the sounds were, and he held back his fear. He had heard they could smell fear. It could have just been some silly tale, but he was taking no chances. He repeated in his mind firmly _I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid. . . ._ He even began to mumble it out loud to himself. Presently he heard screechings coming from the woods. They sounded dangerously close. Lucius pushed himself to speed up his pace. He began to breathe heavily and knew soon he would not be able to push himself anymore. He couldn't fall prey to them. Lucius was in luck; the guard tower was close. He grabbed the ladder and climbed up with all his might. He thought he saw two red eyes staring at him from the darkness of the woods, but it could have just been his imagination. The door at the top was already open and he pulled himself through hastily. He saw a form laying on the floor, motionless. He turned it over and recognized the face instantly. It was Finton Coin. He picked him up carefully and tried to wake him.

"Come on, Finton," he muttered to him imperatively.

Finton stirred slightly and Lucius shook him softly. Finton's eyes slowly opened and focused on Lucius.

"What-" Finton began to speak in confusion, but then the memory snapped back and all became clear.

Finton pulled himself up, knowing they had to leave instantly. Lucius helped him up, and both men raced down the ladder as fast as they could. They could see shadows shifting uneasily in the woods. Figures, which they both assumed were the creatures they were dreading. They fled back to the village, hearing scraping footsteps chasing them. Finton's heart was beating so fast he thought he would explode. Lucius ignored everything except Finton and getting to safety. Finton was clutching his side oddly and Lucius turned to stare at him, wondering if one of the creatures had injured him. As he turned, he saw a red cloak out of the corner of his eye. Two red eyes stared out at him, emotionlessly. Its mouth was gaping and he saw rows of yellow teeth. It stepped to the side and shred part of Finton's cloak. He gasped, and fumbled slightly. Lucius turned back and would have shut his eyes to block out the fear if he had not been running full tilt. He did not wish to run blindly into one of them. Finton was gasping in breaths and Lucius wasn't sure if he would make it. _Don't give up, Finton_, Lucius yelled to him in his mind. He repeated it over and over again as hope to himself. He reached a hand back to Finton and he immediately grabbed it. Finton was now being pulled along by Lucius, who was very close to his house now. He grabbed the doorknob and swung his body around, and Finton was jolted around too. He exhaled deeply as he pulled the door open and shoved Finton in, who was whimpering. He turned to look to see if they were still being followed. The creature reached out with its long claws toward Lucius. He could feel the creature's breath on his neck as he pulled himself inside and shut the door. Lucius immediately began to pile furniture in front of the door and sighed deeply. He searched the ground silently for the trap door. He finally found the hook and pulled at it with all his might. He hadn't had to use it much and so had basically forgotten about it. Finton dived in and Lucius came next. They shut it tightly and held it closed. They heard the creature throwing all of its body weight on the door. They heard it pounding for about fifteen minutes, and then it ceased. Lucius went to open the door but Finton stopped him. He was shaking uncontrollably. His face was fixed with fear and Lucius wasn't sure if his eyes could get any wider. He was still clutching his side.

"What happened?" Lucius pointed at Finton.

"Oh, uh . . . I was trying to reach for the bell. One of them had already gotten the door open. It was pulling itself up when I dived for the bell. Unfortunately I missed and took a bad fall," Finton forced the words out. His voice was shaky, and Lucius took notice. Not that Lucius thought of him as a lesser man, if Lucius had gone through that, he would have assuredly been just as impacted if not more so. Lucius nodded his head in acknowledgment.****

.

"We have to go out, Finton," Lucius explained, "you need to see a doctor."

"It's not that bad. Can we at least wait a few more minutes?" Finton gulped.

Lucius nodded and wrapped his cloak around him. They both huddled in the cold and darkness. The minutes passed like hours for Lucius, but they passed like seconds for Finton. Finally, Finton gathered all his courage.

"All right," he breathed shakily. Lucius nodded silently and slowly opened the door. It creaked slowly. The door hit the floor like dead weight and both men took in the air. It was not the musty and stale air they had been breathing for a half hour. Lucius slowly moved the furniture out of the way of the door. He was obviously in no haste. He strewn chairs, tables, and even his bed every way he could. He finally got through all of the furniture, and turned to Finton. Both men exchanged silent gazes, and Lucius grabbed the handle of the door. He twisted it slowly, and pulled it toward himself. The door creaked open, the night becoming more and more plain to both men. The door was fully open, and all they saw was the emptiness of night. They both sighed with relief and went to tell their fellow villagers that the terror was over, for now.

It was at times like these when Ivy Walker wished she could see like everyone else. Tense times, when everyone was screaming in terror from hideous beasts or some other form of horrors. She wished she could see what everyone was frightened about. All of "Those We Don't Speak Of" she could see, was a faint splash of red in the darkness. Huddled underground, she could see nothing, just the plain darkness. She could hear Kitty breathing loudly with fear. Noah was stifling laughs, trying his hardest not to upset Kitty and Ivy. She was breathing normally, unlike her sister. Her thoughts dwelt on Lucius. Why had he left? He could be in danger right now, right as she was sitting here, too caught up in her own fear. She fought back tears and sunk down to the ground.

"Ivy! Kitty! Noah! Are you there?" Lucius yelled and looked in a window. Ivy's heart leapt.

"Open the door! Open, open, open!" Ivy said and both she and Kitty pushed the trap door open. Ivy was the first one to emerge, running to the door frantically and opening it up. Lucius basically collapsed inside. Finton came in next, stumbling in, the pain of his side finally sinking in.

"Are you hurt?" Ivy asked Lucius frantically. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, trying to calm her.

"No," he replied, "but he is." He pointed and Finton, who had collapsed onto a bed. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and prolonged. He was trying to calm himself, and he had seemed to have succeeded so far.

"I'm going to bring the doctor here," Lucius said, waiting for the Walker's approval. They both nodded their heads simultaneously. Lucius nodded back and ran out to find Doctor Crane.

He called out to each and every house "They've gone! Come out now! They've gone!"

Slowly, the unsure residents of Covington emerged from their homes, peering out before stepping their feet outside. The night was over. With the day came hope. With the night came fear.

Finton was checked and heading home when Lucius Hunt approached the Forbidden Line. His yellow hood was bent so much over his face that he was unrecognizable. He stared into the woods for a long time, thinking things over slowly in his head. He had no fear, the only fear he felt was when he was around Ivy. He knew why he was afraid around her, too, he just didn't want to hear it. He stared blankly out into the woods, not seeing it, just seeing his thoughts play out in his mind. He turned back and looked at Covington. _Never enter the woods. That is where they wait, _he thought, but it was not his voice. It was that of Edward Walker, the one who made the five rules. It was the first rule, and it haunted him as he stood just barely out of the woods. He knew he was disobeying everything he had been taught if he entered the woods. The truce would be broken. He knew all this, as he took a deep breath and ran into the woods.

Lucius stopped running after several minutes and took a deep gulp, and all his fears were buried deep down. _Face your fears_, he told himself. Everything that he had ever been afraid of was in here; even the trees frightened him. They stood still, only moving every couple minutes, twitching awkwardly. He felt they were watching him, like silent assassins. He knew the woods had secrets, but what kind? He knew the creatures hid here, but what other things lay deep, hidden within the woods? Scatter-scatter-scatter. Lucius turned, startled. He saw a dark shape move off. It scuttled against the fallen leaves, totally aware that Lucius knew it was there. It stopped moving, and turned its head ever so slightly in the direction of Lucius. He could see its two red eyes, gleaming slightly in the sun. It snarled, and shifted a little, observing how Lucius would respond. Lucius did not dare to move, so he stood motionless, hoping it would keep moving. It didn't. It continued to stare on, still and silent. It was making plans in its head. It had Lucius right where it wanted him. He didn't move, and that's just what the creature was expecting. It side stepped a little, and Lucius could make out the red cloak. Its arms were bent up toward its head, hands curled downward toward its chest. It stopped for several minutes, hoping that he wouldn't notice what it was going to do next. It didn't make any sudden movements, just began crawling slowly toward Lucius. It took little steps forward, trying not to startle him. He looked down at the creature's feet. It stopped and snarled softly. It was semi-crouched, that's all Lucius could tell because of its cloak. He looked up, straight into the creature's face. He could barely see its teeth. He noticed they were a vivid yellow. He took a slow step backwards. The creature turned its head sharply and snarled. It bent its arm forward showing its long claws. Lucius stopped with this one step, and tried to think up a cunning plan. He knew he was outwitted, the creature knew exactly how to deal with him. Lucius began to take more steps backwards, becoming rapidly faster. The creature pivoted and poised itself. It growled threateningly and took long strides toward him. He turned and began running. He wondered if he had enough strength to out run it. The creature screeched and lurched forward, lashing out with its claws. It grabbed a corner of his cloak and shred it. Lucius tripped slightly but regain his balance and continued running. He realized he could be running deeper into the forest, but didn't care at the moment. All that mattered was focusing all his energy on running. He sneaked a look over his shoulder and met the creature eye to eye. It was almost caught up with him. Lucius cried out in terror and quickened his pace. He could hear the creature take raspy, deep breaths right in his ear. It was so close to him now, so close that Lucius could feel its evil presence, just behind him. The creature reached out again and grabbed his arm. It dug its long claws into his arm, trying to get a good grasp upon him. Lucius yelped in pain as the creature began to pull him backwards. It had stopped moving, and Lucius realized he was not either, at least not in the direction he wanted. He kicked his legs, struggling to return to his feet and run. He tried to pull his arm out of the creature's deadly grasp, but it was a futile effort. He thrashed with all his might to no avail. He thought he heard it snicker at him. The creature turned Lucius in the direction of its face and grabbed him by the throat. The creature hissed menacingly and shoved its claws deeper into his arm. He winced in pain and tried not to cry out. The creature made a raspy sound almost like a laugh.

"Tuuuuuuuuuuuurn awaaaaaaaaaaay," it hissed at Lucius. He blinked and wondered if he had actually heard it speak. The creature took its claws out of Lucius and pivoted him away from it. It brought him closer to it and then threw Lucius with all its might. Lucius cried out in surprise as he was hurled in the air. He fell hard on his stomach. He curled almost into a ball like position and shoved himself over on his back. The creature stood motionless, waiting for Lucius to get up. He didn't. He lay there trying not to think of his throbbing stomach. The creature shrieked loudly, trying to scare Lucius into getting up. Lucius payed no attention. He turned and looked at his arm. It was bleeding terribly, but it didn't hurt. He was numb all over. The creature shuffled itself around, feeling impatient. Lucius knew that he had to get up soon. He flipped himself on his stomach again and waited several minutes before launching himself into the air. The creature jerked abruptly and turned in Lucius's direction. He was now at his feet and didn't move a muscle. He had his arms spread and knees bent, like he was going to make a run for it any minute, but he didn't. He stood there, waiting for the creature to move. It shifted its weight uneasily and hissed. Lucius had a plan now and the creature knew it. It took a step forward and stopped nervously. Lucius didn't move, just continued staring intently. The creature was growing restless, and he could see it in its eyes. It darted for Lucius, screaming horrendously. He knew that he had to act to act quickly or the creature would have him. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small knife. He felt as if he were moving in slow motion from the tension. Just as the creature reached its arm forward at his injured arm, Lucius stabbed its arm with all his might. It screeched and wrenched its arm back, taking his knife with it. It curled its arm into an unusual position and turned and ran. It screamed horrendously the whole way back into the darkness. Its back was covered in intimidating looking spikes, and it dragged a long tail along the ground that flicked every couple steps. Lucius snapped out of observation mode and began to flee, hoping he would reach the edge of the woods. In about twenty minutes he saw the familiar yellow flags draped from the trees surrounding the woods. He dashed through the trees and stared at the sky. He hadn't been able to see it in the woods. He continued to stare, clutching his bleeding arm. The numbness wore off slowly, and Lucius felt the full pain of his wounds. He stumbled over to his house and collapsed onto his bed. He lapsed in and out of conciseness for several hours.

Lucius woke up to a blur. He began to move his arms to rub his eyes, but one burned with pain when he tried and sunk back down into its position. Lucius turned to look at his arm and saw it was covered it blood. He then realized what had happened. He swallowed hard. How was he going to explain this to the villagers? What if he set things into motion that could not be undone? He sat up, and his arm fell to the side like dead weight. He stood up slowly and felt the pain in his stomach. He had to see a doctor. He slowly trudged to his door and reached out with his undamaged arm. He swayed a little with his weakness. He was dead tired and he felt like it took all his energy to turn the doorknob. He shoved it opened slowly and supported his shredded arm with the other.

Doctor Crane was seated peacefully by his fire when Lucius Hunt stumbled in. He looked at Crane helplessly as he rose from his seat. He collapses onto the floor, his injured arm hitting the ground the hardest. Doctor Crane rushed over and pulled him up onto his bed. He frantically raced over to his desk and pulled out his glasses. He raced over to Lucius and propped him up with a pillow. He groaned and turned his head somewhat. Crane lifted him up slowly and softly. He gently pulled off his shredded cloak. It looked like great claws had ripped into it. Crane was filled with dread. _Would he be foolish enough to go in the woods? _he wondered. No. He shook his head. No one is that foolish. He looked at the arm wound carefully. It looked as if something lengthy had been shoved into his arm. The wound was exceedingly deep. Crane rummaged around in his supplies in clumsy nervousness. He pulled out some white cloth bandages and began to wrap it around the wound. He finished wrapping it and then began to look for some medicine to put on it. He pulled out a bottle with a clear liquid in it and began to poor it on the bandage, letting it seep in slowly. Lucius winced in his in his unconscious state. Crane tapped his fingers against his chin wondering what to do next. He heard the door open and turned to see who it was. Edward Walker entered.

"Hello, Christop, I had a horrible-" Edward stopped in the middle of his sentence. He stopped moving and stared straight down at Lucius. He was muttering something intelligible in his sleep. Edward's head turned downward to Lucius's cloak. It had long tears through it. Edward immediately knew what happened.

"How bad is the wound?" he said, crouching at the side of the bed.

"It is incredibly deep," Crane said with a sigh. "You don't think he. . . ." Christop stopped. He didn't dare say anymore. Edward nodded barely. Christop sighed.

"I applied some medication," he said, "he should be up and able to tell us what happened soon." Edward observed the bandage, picking up Lucius's arm gently, checking all sides of it.

"No blood," Edward said, turning to Crane. "Christop, how long has he had this wound?" Chrsitop shook his head to show he wasn't sure.

"When he came in the blood was already crusted and dried all down his arm. I'd say he's had it for quite a while." Crane yawned a little. Lucius stirred in his sleep. He tossed a little, and Edward place a gentle hand upon him.

Lucius slowly opened his eyes. His vision was a blur of many different colors. His vision slowly focused into the faces of Edward Walker and Christop Crane. He lay for a few minutes, not moving, taking in everything that happened. It finally all seeped in, and Lucius sat up abruptly. He clutched his arm in pain. He turned and looked Edward straight in the eyes. Edward searched his face and only found despair. Lucius used every ounce of energy he had to fight back tears. Edward slowly reached out an arm to his shoulder.

"Tell me everything," Edward almost whispered. Lucius swallowed hard. He coughed nervously, for his throat had become raspy.

"I-I-I," Lucius stammered. He was extremely shy and introverted. He didn't talk much. He mostly kept to himself. "I, um," he swallowed again, "I went into the woods." Edward shook his head in disapproving disappointment. Lucius hung his head in shame.

"I saw one of them," he revealed, voice quaking from the memory. "It was obviously playing a game with me, one which I returned hastily. It was rather intelligent, in fact, I think it even spoke to me. It hissed at me, 'Turn away.' I wish I knew what it meant. It chased me and rent my cloak and my arm. The second time it lunged for me, I stabbed it in the arm and it ran off into the woods, shrieking." Edward stared on in disbelief. Lucius had injured a creature, something none of the villagers had ever done. Lucius was tearing up, and he was trying to hide it. Edward saw it anyway, but wasn't sure what to say. Covington was in obvious danger. Maybe the creatures would be sympathetic, but they were not known to be. He placed a hand on Lucius's shoulder. He looked up, tears running down his face. Edward didn't say anything, just continued to stare straight into his eyes. Lucius felt his gaze pierce him, and turned away. He couldn't look him in the eye any longer, knowing how much danger he put the village in. Edward turned away from him and mouthed something to Crane. Lucius turned back to see Crane's response. He shook his head and Edward sighed.

"Stay here," he advised tenderly. He turned and slowly opened the door and raced outside. Lucius stood, and Crane motioned for him to sit back. He had a feeling he might be in deep trouble and he stared at the floor, many thoughts crossing his mind. He stared at his fingers nervously. He tapped his feet against the ground, trying to get the nervousness to pass, but another wave came, stronger than before. He picked up his head and searched the room, trying to find something to focus his attention on. In the end, he was back staring at the ground, suppressing his emotions.


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

Edward Walker's heart was racing as he opened the door to the Council Chamber. He burst in, and then sagged down, catching his breath. The elders hastily rose to their feet and quickly ran over to Edward. He was gasping, trying to regain his normal breathing pattern, obviously to no avail. He was not a young man. He was well into his sixties. He stood up straight, and without saying a word, motioned for the elders to follow him. They did so silently, not questioning him. He couldn't possibly run this time. Instead he walked, rather slowly, to Christop Crane's house. He paused questioningly, and then opened the door.

Lucius was staring intently at the ground, clutching his arm again when Alice Hunt raced over to the bed. He barely noticed her, only peeling his gaze from the ground when she lifted up his head. His gazed was forced right on her face. He stared, searching her face for a sign of anger, but could find nothing but fear and despair. Edward hadn't told her yet. Would Edward want him to tell them? Lucius wasn't sure if would be able to tell her, face to face. The rest of the elders filtered in, and Lucius broke his gaze from his mother toward them. He knew he wouldn't be able to tell all of them. He breathed in deeply. The calming air rushed down his lungs. He exhaled it, letting fresh air seep into his lungs. Edward crouched at his side. He looked at Lucius, trying to read his emotions. It was not that hard. Lucius was an obvious wreck. His eyes were red and tear stained, he was breathing irregularly, and his eyes were so wide it looked like he had just seen a ghost. He had probably seen worse. Edward sighed deeply and turned to the elders. Some of them had their heads tilted, trying to figure out in their mind just what was going on. Edward turned and nodded to Lucius. He knew exactly what that meant. He fought back another wave of tears. Edward could immediately see that it would take every ounce of will power Lucius had in order for him to force the words out. He placed a hand on Lucius's shoulder and nodded confidently. Lucius breathed in deeply.

"I......" he started, clasping his palms together. They were drenched with sweat. He swallowed hard. His throat was dry. "I, um. . . . What I'm trying to say is, I, uh, went into the woods." There was a collective gasp among those in the room. Alice turned her head sharply, her jaw slack with the surprise.

"I saw one of 'them'," Lucius coughed nervously. The room was dead silent. The expressions on the elder's faces were dead serious. Lucius had to look at the ground to escape their piercing gazes. "It chased me for sometime and stabbed me with its claws," he motioned to his bandaged arm, "When it headed for me the second time, I stabbed it in the arm and it ran off into the darkness." This was the second time Lucius had to relive his terrifying experience, and it had thoroughly drained him. He lay back on the bed, bringing his uninjured arm up to his forehead, wiping off a thick layer of sweat. The room was dead silent for several minutes. All eyes were on Lucius, who was backing up as far as he could onto the bed. The looks expressed a vast number of emotions, some anger, some fear, and some sympathy. Edward's was a mix of all three. He was obviously trying to suppress his anger, and it seemed to Lucius that he had succeeded. The furious light in Edward's eyes faded, and the soft light of understanding took its place.

"Why?" August Nicholson's voiced chimed from the back. Lucius looked up toward him, shoulders sagging from his guilt.

"I," Lucius wet his lips with his tongue, "felt we needed to face our fears." August had an offended look on his face.

"So, you think we're cowards, is that it?" August looked deeply disappointed. Lucius rubbed his eye brows.

"No," he said, shaking his head, "I think we would be better off if we showed these creatures we're not afraid of them. It's natural to be afraid, but I don't think we should be. They're obviously feeding off our fear, taking advantage of it. We should stand up to them, show them that we're not afraid any longer."

Edward turned, almost surprised that someone would suggest such a thing. He had great admiration for Lucius, and a grin cracked across his face as Lucius spoke. August turned to Edward and gave him a questioning glance. Edward shook his head. He slowly rose to his feet, and turned to the overwhelmed faces of the elders. He raised his hands signaled for them to leave. They stood for several minutes, mouths gaping, and then the command sunk in. They filed out slowly, each of them taking one last glance at Lucius, who knew judgement was nigh. Crane was standing by Edward. He turned to Crane and whispered to him, telling him to leave. He nodded understandingly, and left hastily, sneaking one last look at Edward.

Lucius stared at his fingers wordlessly. There was much for him to say, but he felt he didn't need to say it. He didn't like to talk much, anyway. He would talk when he was prompted to, otherwise, he would stay silent, trying to avoid Edward's gaze. He looked up at Edward when he sat down next to him on the bed. He placed a hand on his shoulder. Lucius braced himself for the bad news. Edward breathed in deeply.

"What should I do, Lucius? I'm at a loss," he asked. This was not what Lucius was expecting. He looked at Edward helplessly. He was tapping his fingers against the bed frame, clearly at a loss.

"I... I'm sorry I've caused such trouble to Covington," Lucius's voice cracked with the words.

"It's all right, Lucius," he replied. "They would not dare cause harm to the village." Lucius returned his kindness with a beaming smile. Edward patted him on the back.

"You go home now. I will explain everything to the elders. I admire you, Lucius," he said and Lucius looked up, astounded. "You have more courage than any in Covington. It's just, many can't recognize that and respect it." Lucius nodded and they both rose to their feet. They left, side by side, feeling better about themselves in their own ways.

Lucius Hunt was collapsed upon his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling, when Finton Coin burst through the door. He had a wide grin upon his face, and he clumsily stumbled over to Lucius.

"Is it true?!" His eyes glimmered with fascination. Lucius slowly nodded his head.

"Lucius! You went in the woods!" Finton jumped up, not sure what else to say. "How did you ever force yourself into doing that? That's incredible!" Lucius just shrugged and lay back. Finton noticed his bandaged arm.

"What happened?"

"I don't wish to talk about it anymore."

"You saw one, didn't you? It did that to you, didn't it? Just like I saw one in the tower last night."

Lucius turned to Finton, eyes full of hurt. He stared at him long and hard and Finton crouched next to him.

"I'm sorry, Lucius. I didn't mean to cause you any pain. After all, I owe you my life. If you hadn't come to the tower last night, I'd be dead right now," Finton said gratefully. Lucius turned to him and smiled. He smiled back, happily.

"Finton, you're my best friend. You owe me nothing," Lucius stretched back with these words, obviously exhausted. Finton patted him on the shoulder, and exited the room quietly. Lucius was already asleep.

_Lucius was engulfed in thick darkness._ _He looked around slowly. Everything was empty. It was like he was suspended in time itself. __He turned, looking in all directions, wondering how he was able to stand. There was nothing, no ground, no sky, no color, and no light. He closed his eyes and met the same, empty darkness. He opened his eyes and saw two red eyes of one of the creatures. He gasped, and watched the eyes intently._ _They didn't blink. They just stared on. Lucius gulped and tried to take a step back, but he was fixed in the darkness. He stood, suspended for several minutes. It was so quiet he thought he might have gone deaf. Then, he heard_ _a soft growl. Since he had heard nothing for the longest time, he jerked abruptly. The eyes shifted and edged forward a little. Lucius tried to move away from the eyes, but he couldn't. He was still suspended in absolute nothingness. The figure became illuminated. It was a creature. Its long claws gleamed and Lucius gulped. This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream._

_'Tuuuuurn awaaaaaaaay,' Lucius could see the creature's mouth move slowly with each word. Turn away. What did that mean? The creature shifted and lunged forward, which surprised him. Lucius tried to move, but the darkness bound him tightly. He struggled to move away as the creature tilted its head, wondering what he was doing. It took small shuffles forward. He was seized with terror as the creature became increasingly closer. He grasped at the thick darkness and tried to haul himself away to no avail. The creature obviously knew its advantage over Lucius at this time, for it was steadily striding toward him. It was not in any hurry, because it knew Lucius could not go anywhere. It finally reached him, and they both stood face to face, creature to human. He was barely breathing. The creature shifted from side to side in its sprawled stance. _

_'Never enter the woods,'_ _it hissed and with a sudden jerk it stabbed its long claws into Lucius. He looked down and saw his stomach was impaled._

_Pain, stabbing pain. . ._

Lucius awoke in a cold sweat. He sat up, and clutched his stomach to see if it had actually happened. Nothing. He sighed deeply and relaxed back down onto his bed. His arm ached as he wondered what he should do. He couldn't sleep, and he couldn't just lay there. The thoughts flooding his mind were too painful. He got up and slowly exited his house. He knew the elders were discussing what to do now. He had to be there.

Ivy Walker turned toward the door sharply. There was a great commotion outside. Something big had happened or was happening. She reached for her walking stick clumsily and hurriedoutside. The elders were gathered, conversing amongst themselves. Ivy reached out for a hand, hoping someone would see her. They didn't. They continued talking, some yelling. She heard the frantic voices. Something bad had obviously happened, and they were deciding what to do.

"Father!" she yelled, reaching out for his hand. Edward jerked at the voice of his daughter and grabbed her hand. He pulled her along back to the meeting house for the elders. Everyone burst through the door and collapsed down into their chairs. They all exploded into talk at once. Ivy was overwhelmed. She had no idea what was going on. She either thought that 'Those We Don't Speak Of' had crossed into the village, or that someone had gone into the woods.

"Everyone! Everyone!" Edward Walker stood up, trying to quiet them. The room fell silent and all eyes were on Edward. "We will deal with this problem now. We will think very rationally. I do not think there is need for rash moves." The elders all nodded and Ivy knew now that someone had gone into the woods. She tapped her father on the shoulder. He bent down and Ivy whispered in his ear.

"Has someone gone into the woods?"

Edward nodded, and Ivy gasped. Who would do such a thing?

"It was Lucius," he whispered and stood back up. _Lucius?! _she thought, _but he always thought out things before he did them. How could he have possibly done this?_ Her mouth was gaping. Lucius had gone into the woods. She had to see him.

The door burst open and everyone snapped their head in its direction. Lucius Hunt was standing in the doorway, looking like a train wreck. He walked slowly to a chair and sat down calmly. Everyone in the room cast their stare upon Lucius. He shifted uncomfortably with the weight of the gazes.

Ivy recognized that color. She had seen it many times. She had felt safe around this color, for it had always meant a lot to her. This color was that of Lucius. She shifted her head to his direction as best she could. She could feel his sadness, for it was heavy in the air. She wanted to lift this weight off his shoulders and let him become the shy, quiet man he used to be. She daydreamed and knew it could never really happen. She stared longer at the color and began to slowly think that the color was dimmer, almost sad. She turned away and longed to talk to him, but what would she say? So she sank down in her chair sadly and waiting for Edward to return to his speech. He cleared his throat, trying to peel the gazes off Lucius, to no avail. Everyone continued to unwaveringly stare on.

"I believe we should patrol the borders more strictly. Also, I think we should add more yellow to the Forbidden Line to keep 'Those We Don't Speak Of' away," Edward began to speak anyway. All eyes were on him now. August stood up.

"I agree! Who else?" he exclaimed and there was a resounding, "I do!"

Edward turned an walked slowly to Lucius. He hung his head in shame as Edward approached.

"You shall help with the effort," Edward said, bending to look Lucius straight in the eyes. "Do not fret. You are young, and brave. Do not use that bravery to your misfortune." Edward looked at Lucius one last time and exited the room in silence. The rest followed except for Ivy, Noah, and Lucius. Noah came prancing up to him happily.

"You saw them!" he said giddily. Lucius nodded slowly. Noah jumped with excitement. He grabbed Lucius' arm to pull him up. Lucius jerked away and winced in pain. Noah looked horrified and touched Lucius' arm.

"They hurt you," he said with a child-like innocence. Lucius nodded again. He didn't speak, just stared at the floor, wishing to be alone. Noah backed up, kind of hurt, and ran out of the room. He could not contemplate this. Lucius was hurt. Why?

Ivy slowly approached him, not really knowing what to say. She didn't even know if she should approach him. He was in much grief and she thought that he might just be better off left alone. Lucius sat in mournful silence not knowing that Ivy was contemplating what to do behind him. He would have loved her company if he knew she were there. He wanted so much to tell her how he felt about her. How could he do that now, after he had been so foolish? She must hate him now, for being so selfish and not caring what happened to any of the other villagers. How could he even talk to her?

Ivy Walker took several forced steps toward Lucius. Her footsteps fell softly upon the floor. Lucius did not seem to notice. He was too caught up in all the thoughts racing through his mind. She stood behind him and placed a hand softly on his shoulders. He jumped, startled. He turned and looked into the beautiful, sightless eyes of Ivy Walker. He took her hand and guided her to the chair next to him. She sat and they both were left in uncomfortable silence for several minutes.

"Ivy, I...." Lucius stopped, "I feel so foolish. I thought I could help us all, and in my blind stupidity I went into the woods. I thought if we stood up to 'them', we would show them we weren't afraid of them and they would leave us alone; however, the creature tore through my arm like it was nothing. It would have killed me if I had not stabbed it. They could easily kill all of us if there were enough of them. I fear things are now in motion, and I have caused all of it. I was so selfish and so stupid." He turned away from her. He knew he could not look her in the eyes.

"You had good intentions," Ivy tried to comfort him.

"Some of the worst thing imaginable started with good intentions. I should have seen that. I was so blind that I couldn't see anything."

"You couldn't have possibly foreseen what happened. Do not be so harsh on yourself. I'm sure nothing will happen."

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you," Lucius said and placed a hand on Ivy's shoulder. She felt as if he was happier, like part of the guilt was lifted off his shoulders. They both exited the room, holding each other's hands.

Lucius awoke to Ivy's face. She was shaking him as softly as she could. He got up sleepily and looked at her with a questioning glance. Edward was behind her and he had a look of panic on his face. He did not hide it. Something horrible had happened. Lucius felt the guilt return to him, and he sunk with its weight. He slowly walked outside, and Ivy and Edward followed. At first everything seemed normal. He turned around to Ivy and Edward and tilted his head at them inquisitively. Then he noticed something, something that filled him with fear. His eyes widened and he blinked to see if he were seeing things correctly.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a red slash on his door.

He turned and saw that his house was the only one to bear the horrific marking. Panic ran through him and he turned to Edward, searching for some comfort. Ivy reached out for his hand and he took it, squeezing it to make sure it was real. He was not caught up in some horrible dream. This was all really happening. Ivy led him back into his house, and he stumbled behind her, grief stricken. They were coming, and they were coming for him. Who would be next? Ivy? He winced at the thought of her being hurt. The pain inside grew. He could never let her be hurt, ever. Ivy laid him down upon his bed. He took a deep breath, trying to make the pain leave. It would not. It sunk into him like dead weight. His face was full of pain and Ivy could sense it. He closed his eyes and Ivy stroked his forehead. He immediately relaxed and was lulled into sleep. Finton Coin had heard the tragic news and hastily entered the room and sat next to Lucius. Finton wondered if this was the last time he would see Lucius alive. He kicked himself mentally. _No, never think that again_, Finton thought. _He's my best friend. I owe him my life._ Right then and there he decided that he would stay with Lucius to prevent any harm from coming to him. Ivy would stay too. She could not leave him now. Edward urged Ivy to go home when night fell. She reluctantly agreed.

Darkness slowly engulfed the day and Ivy went home, grieving for Lucius, hoping that he would survive the night. Somehow, she knew in her heart that he would. He had confronted a creature before, he could do it again. Plus, Finton was there, so what could possibly happen? She laid down in her bed and tried to sleep. She couldn't. Thoughts of Lucius flooded her mind and she tossed and turned with the agonizing thought of him being hurt.

Lucius heard a soft growl. His eyes popped open and he looked out the window. It was pitch black outside. He slowly lifted his head up. At first he thought he was just paranoid and it was his imagination. Another growl. His eyes widened. This was definitely real. He slowly got up from his bed, as to make no sounds. The creature growled again and Lucius was plagued with the painful thought that he would die this night. He looked down. Finton was on the floor, asleep. Now he was endangering Finton's life too. This was too much to take. More torturous thoughts came. Finton would die because of him. No. He forced his fear down and slowly moved towards the door, as to not make a single sound. He looked around for some sort of weapon. His mind was racing yet seemed blank. He couldn't think and he shook his head to clear it. He then remembered he had several knives on his desk. He had to wake up Finton. He shook Finton softly and he stirred and opened his eyes.

"One is outside," Lucius mouthed silently. Finton's eyes became wide and nodded with comprehension. Lucius slowly helped him up. He was shaking and the ominous feeling in the pit of Lucius' stomach grew. He slowly made his way to the desk and picked up two knives. He motioned for Finton to come to him. Finton nodded and walked toward him. Creeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaak. The floorboards creaked long and loud. Finton winced and was openly mad with himself for not being careful enough. The creature hissed loudly. Lucius handed both knives to Finton, who held one in each hand. Then Lucius picked up two for himself. They would make a stand and fight this monster off.

THUMP!!

The creature began throwing its weight against the door. Both men jumped at the sound, but then regained themselves and waited. The wait was agonizing. With each second both men became more tortured with the thought that their death was lurking just outside the door. Finton almost broke with the pressure. Lucius was breaking, but did not outwardly show it. Both men suppressed their fears and readied themselves to fight for their lives.

CRACK!!

The creature shoved its claws through the door. This was the first time Finton had seen the ferocious claws on the creature. They dwarfed their knives. He gasped with the sight, but Lucius remained silent and still. This was nothing new. The creature peered through the hole in the door with its red, emotionless eyes. They both gasped with the sight. It snickered when it saw him and punctured the door again with its claws. It then stuck both hands through the holes and began to try to pull the door off. It almost tour it off when it stopped abruptly. Both men looked quizzically at the door. Why would it stop now? They heard sounds outside. It almost sounded like talking. How was that possible? The creatures could talk? Preposterous. Both men were drowned in confusion. They heard the fleeting, scraping footsteps of the creature as it left. They also heard different footsteps that were obviously not made by a creature.


End file.
